1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of controlling a recording apparatus, and particularly to a method of controlling a recording apparatus using an ink jet recording system.
2. Related Background Art
As recording apparatuses to be mounted on vehicles, there have heretofore been put into practical use various recording apparatuses mounted on vehicles to issue taxi fare receipts and issue slips in the transport industry. As such recording apparatuses, it is often the case that those being carried are of the thermal type using thermosensitive paper for coloring in black by being heated.
On the other hand, electronic apparatuses carried on automobiles have made remarkable advances in recent years and with the navigation system using GPS (global positioning system) as a core, they have evolved as information terminals for effecting Internet connection and highway toll collection. In such information terminals, there are provided color display apparatuses and the demand for color printing has been on the rise.
Also, ink jet recording apparatuses which can obtain inexpensive and highly definite prints have widely spread as the printing means of personal computers.
Among the above-described ink jet recording apparatuses, recording means (recording head) of the ink jet type which discharges ink by the utilization of heat energy and has a liquid path arrangement (discharge port arrangement) of high density can be easily manufactured by forming an electrothermal converting element, an electrode, a liquid path wall, a top plate, etc. in film manner on a substrate by way of semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, evaporation and sputtering, and enables further compactness to be achieved. Also, by making the most of the merits of the IC technique and the microprocessing technique, it becomes easy to make the recording means long and flat (two-dimensional) and the full multiplication and highly dense mounting of the recording means also become easy.
However, the ink jet recording apparatus discharges ink through a minute nozzle to thereby effect recording and therefore, the ink in the nozzle is liable to evaporate and cause clogging. In order to prevent such evaporation of the ink, it is necessary to cap a discharge surface when recording is not effected for a long time.
Also, if the ink jet recording apparatus is left unused for a long period, bubbles may collect in a common liquid chamber communicating with ink flow paths due to the relations of gases dissolved in the ink and the gas transmissivity of members constituting the head and the adhesively securing portion thereof to thereby hamper the ink supply to the nozzle.
The cap is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer and has negative pressure generating means connected thereto to thereby suitably suck the ink in the nozzle and eliminate clogging.
In the ink jet recording apparatuses of the conventional type used in offices and homes, time is always monitored by an electrical timer and when a predetermined time elapses, it automatically performs the sucking operation. This timer is operated by the electric power of an AC power source.
In making the present invention, it has been tried to carry the above-described ink jet recording apparatus on an automobile or the like and use the apparatus. In this case, electric power is obtained from the battery of the automobile or the like.
However, in a case where the ink jet recording apparatus is carried on an automobile, when the power key of the recording apparatus is not depressed and the power supply is cut off by the ignition key of the automobile, there occurs such a trouble that the capping of the nozzle is not effected and the cap is clogged.
Also, if electric power is directly supplied from the battery of the automobile independently of the ignition key, the problem that the capping is not effected will be solved, but if the automobile is left unused for a long time with the power supply of the recording apparatus kept ON and with the engine of the vehicle stopped, there has sometimes arisen the problem that the electric power of the battery of the vehicle is consumed and the battery is completely discharged.
So, it is the object of the present invention to solve the problems as noted above and to provide a method of controlling the power source of a recording apparatus which minimizes the consumption of a battery, in view of circumstances peculiar to a power source carried on an automobile and environmental conditions.
In order to achieve the above object, the method of controlling a recording apparatus according to the present invention is a method of controlling a recording apparatus comprising recording means for effecting recording on a recording medium, conveying means for conveying the recording medium, and a power input terminal adapted to be switched on and off by an ignition key switch, the method comprising a step at which the operation sequence of the recording apparatus is executed in accordance with the ON/OFF state of the power input terminal.
In the method of controlling the recording apparatus according to the present invention as described above, the operation sequence of the recording apparatus is executed in accordance with the ON/OFF state of the above-mentioned power input terminal and therefore, even when, for example, the user of a recording apparatus installed in an automobile has forgotten to switch off the power source switch of the main body of the recording apparatus and has switched off only the ignition key switch, the operation sequence for maintaining the recording characteristic of the recording means and the operation sequence for terminating the operation of the recording apparatus can be executed in the OFF state of the ignition key switch.
Also, the method of controlling the recording apparatus according to the present invention may comprise the terminating operation step of executing the terminating operation sequence of the operation sequences when the electric power supply from the aforementioned power input terminal has become OFF, and the power source switching off step of switching off the electric power supply from a power input terminal after the execution of the terminating operation step.
Also, the recording means may be ink jet recording means for causing ink to fly from a nozzle to thereby effect recording. In this case, the recording apparatus has cap means for covering the nozzle of the ink jet recording means, and driving means for moving the cap means toward and away from the nozzle of the ink jet recording means, and the terminating operation sequence may include the step at which the driving means covers the nozzle of the ink jet recording means with the cap means. In this case, even if the user has forgotten to switch off the power source switch of the main body of the recording apparatus and has switched off only the ignition key switch, the electric power supply from the power input terminal is stopped after the nozzle of the ink jet recording means is covered with the cap means and therefore, it is possible to eliminate such a factor adversely affecting the discharge characteristic of the ink that the ink in the nozzle dries up during the non-use of the recording apparatus.
The method of the present invention may comprise the electric power saving shifting step of shifting the electric power consuming mode of the control portion of the recording apparatus including a CPU from an ordinary electric power consuming mode to an electric power saving mode before the execution of the power source switching off step after the execution of the terminating operation step. Also, even if an error occurs during the execution of the terminating operation sequence, the electric power saving shifting step may be forcibly executed, or when, after the shift to the electric power saving mode, the remaining amount of a battery has become lower than a predetermined level, the power source switching off step may be forcibly executed. Further, even if an error occurs during the execution of the terminating operation sequence, the power source switching off step may be forcibly executed.
Also, the recording apparatus in which the recovery operation control is done by a method of controlling the recording operation of the recording apparatus according to the present invention may be one to be carried on an automobile.